Process of dehydrating food substances.



PATENTED JAN. 1, IOOV.

E. W. OOOKB.

PROCESS OP DEHYDRATINO FOOD SUBSTANOBS. APPLICATION FILED FEB.24, 1904.

y v hiuclul'ot 57772 es. 000%@ @Mommy liarv 3 ERNEST WILLIAM COOKE, OE NEW ASSIGNMENTS, JERSEY'. j

YORK, NYY., ASSIONOE, BY MESNE TO THE COKEL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW vFFmee'ss oF DEHYDRATING FOOD suss'TNcEs.

No. 840,436.l

Specification of Letters `Patent.

Patented Jan. 1, 1907.

Application filed February 24. 1904. Serial No- 195,545.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST WILLIAM COOKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, Vhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Dehydrating Food Substances, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a process of dehydrating animal and vegetable substances, and has for its object more particularly thedehydration of food products in such a way that the internal structure thereof` is uninjured and so that the can be perfectly restored to their originalundehydrated condition by the simple addition of water. In order to accomplish this result, I have discovered that it is essential in the treatment of some products at least to pass through the same, first from one side and then from the other, independent currents of air or other vaporous gas of different temperature and humidity.

f It isonly by reversing the direction in which the inde endent currents of air or gas strike the prodliic-ts and. by subjecting them alternately-for exam le, to a current of hot air and to a current ofp cool air-that certain substances canbe' deh drated so as to abstract the moisture onlyTr and leave them in condition to be restored b the simple addition of Water so perfectly tliat they cannot be distinguished from fresh products.

ereinafter I will for convenience use the `ter air as a generic term including any kin of vapor or gas, as well as atmospheric air, which issuitable for the purpose.

The .apparatus in which the. above-described process may be carried out is shown in the acoompan g drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a ongitudinal vertical section through thea paratus. Fig. 2 is altransverse sectiont ough the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same, partly broken away. A

In said figures, 10 represents the dehydrating-chamber as a whole, the same being divided i'nto sections 1 2 3, &c., by transverse partitions 5 in which are transverse apertures 7 of substantially the size of the t'ays 8, on which-the material to be dehydrated is placed, preferably, vided state. The distance between adjacent partitions 5 is e ual to an integral multiple of thelength of t e trays, so that when the trays are stopped the ends of a pair of adja` cent trays always come in line with each partition. The edges ofthe apertures 7 are provided with packing-strips 6, which contact with the ends of the trays, as shown, to make a substantially air-tight joint. The trays which move on guideways 2, may be pushe through the chamber or they mayl be provided with means to attach them to each other and be drawn through.

Each of the Sectionsil 2 3, &c., is provided with an air-inlet 9 and an air-outlet 11, which alternates between that part of the section above the path of the trays and that part below the same. In other words, the air-inlets 9 of the sections 1 and 3 are in the lower half of said'sections and the air-outlets 11 are in the upper half, while the air-inlet 9 of the section 2 is in the upper halfof said section,

and the air-outlet. 11 is in the lower half.

The outlets 11 lead into a duct 16, running along the side of the chamber and communieating at one end with a fan or blower 30, which draws the air through the apparatus. Of course the air may be blown through instead without departing from my inventlon.

31 re resents a thermometer in the air-inlets, an other thermometers and also hy ometers (not shown) are preferably emp oyed, so that the condition of the entering and leaving currents orair may be readily ascertained.

'Various modifications in construction of the apparatus may obviously be made within the scope of my invention, which is set forth inthe following claims.

I claim- 1. The process of dehydrating food substances, which consists, in passing. ytherethrough a current of air of a certain temperature and humidity and immediately thereafter passing therethrough' in the opposite direc-tion an independent current of air of a different temperature and humidity.

2. The rocess of dehydrating food substances, w 'ch consists in inclosing them in a receptacle divided into substantially alrin a more or less finely-diloo tight sections, passing currents of air of a certain tempera-ture and humidity through altern ete sections in one direction, passing independent currents of air of a different temy 5 perature and humidity through the interven- 'ing sections in the opposite direction and intermittently moving the substances forwardly through the rece itaele.

.5. The Eroeess of de ydrating food sublo stances, w ich consists 1n alternately forcmg VIn testimony whereof I affix mv signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST WILLIAM ooo-KE,

'itnesses:

WAL'IHR M. JACKSON,

H. HAUPT, Jr. 

